Conversational English -Using the right word in the right place

by Satya Prakash ·
Published December 1, 2015
· Updated December 3, 2015

Baby steps to learning conversational English – 15

a. Ahmed had a small real estate agency. Later, he closed his business and joined a big construction company as sales manager. His friend, Muneer met him in the street a few days later. The conversation ran like this. Muneer – ‘What’s your new job like?’ Ahmed – ‘Mixed. I ……….. having a bit more money, but I ……….. having my own office, and I really ………… having to write a detailed report on every single job I do.’ [Suggested words … admit, appreciate, deny, resent, miss]

b. Ananth is a Training Manager in an airline company. Smitha is the Asst. Training Manager. They have been asked to attend a second meeting of the stewards to brief them about the new hand baggage rules introduced by the management. The conversation runs like this.

Smitha — ‘Ananth, we need to meet the stewards again at 7pm.’ Ananth — ‘Not another meeting. I just ……….. seeing all those people again. Honestly, when Sinha opens his mouth, I just …… screaming. Would you ……… going and taking notes for me? Tell them I am ill, or my grandfather died, or something.’ [Suggested words .. can’t face, imagine, feel like, mind, involve]

c. Sudha is a domestic help recruited by a manpower providing agency. She was assigned to a wealthy man’s house. After working there for just a day, she has come back to the recruiting agency to vent her frustration like this.

Sudha .. ‘They said the job would ……. some light house work. They didn’t …….. cooking, gardening, scrubbing the floor, and dusting the house from end to end. I can’t ….. going another day. I am off.’ [Suggested words …. admit, involve, mention, mind, imagine]

d. Amir is a driver who was involved in an accident. He had to face the court where the prosecution lawyer (a junior working with the Public Prosecutor) grilled him rigorously. This is how the junior lawyer briefed his senior later in the evening. Junior lawyer .. ‘During my cross-examination, the driver continued to ………… talking on his mobile phone at the time of the accident, and refused to ….. driving dangerously, claiming that he was forced to accelerate in order to ……. hitting an old lady who was crossing the road at that time. [Suggested words involve, appreciate, admit, avoid, deny]

ANSWERS ……..

a. Ahmed had a small real estate agency. Later, he closed his business and joined a big construction company as sales manager. His friend, Muneer met him in the street a few days later. The conversation ran like this.

Muneer – ‘What’s your new job like?’ Ahmed – ‘Mixed. I admit having a bit more money, but I miss having my own office, and I really resent having to write a detailed report on every single job I do.’

b. Ananth is a Training Manager in an airline company. Smitha is the Asst. Training Manager. They have been asked to attend a second meeting of the stewards to brief them about the new hand baggage rules introduced by the management. The conversation runs like this.

Smitha — ‘Ananth, we need to meet the stewards again at 7pm.’ Ananth — ‘Not another meeting. I just can’t face seeing all those people again. Honestly, when Sinha opens his mouth, I just feel like screaming. Would you mind going and taking notes for me? Tell them I am ill, or my grandfather died, or something.’

c. Sudha is a domestic help recruited by a manpower providing agency. She was assigned to a wealthy man’s house. After working there for just a day, she has come back to the recruiting agency to vent her frustration like this.

Sudha .. ‘They said the job would involve some light house work. They didn’t mention cooking, gardening, scrubbing the floor, and dusting the house from end to end. I can’t imagine going another day. I am off.’

d. Amir is a driver who was involved in an accident. He had to face the court where the prosecution lawyer (a junior working with the Public Prosecutor) grilled him rigorously. This is how the junior lawyer briefed his senior later in the evening. Junior lawyer .. ‘During my cross-examination, the driver continued to deny talking on his mobile phone at the time of the accident, and refused to admit driving dangerously, claiming that he was forced to accelerate in order to avoid hitting an old lady who was crossing the road at that time.

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